Because Chauncey Hardy was playing in Romania instead of somewhere near Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, I understand why his death isn’t deemed largely important or interesting to American media.

But it should be. It should also be a sobering reality for NBA players and owners alike that no matter how wide the gap is in their negotiations, there are few better countries to play professional basketball than in than America. Because if you get beat up in a bar after a game, you can at least expect decent medical care.

Chauncey Hardy shouldn’t have died that way. He shouldn’t have been brutally attacked in a Romanian bar, beaten into a coma, neglected by police and doctors until Hardy took the last breath of his 23-year-old life thousands of miles away from his family. Surely, his family must have thought he would be safe in his first season overseas. Isn’t that life supposed to be exotic and glamorous? Isn’t that life what NBA players are leveraging over owners’ heads?

I am outraged about the Romania health ministry’s report that concluded two doctors were negligent in their treatment of his fatal injuries. Judging by the egregiously mishandled care of Chauncey Hardy, it’s hard to believe that we know the full truth about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Was he really attacked by one bar patron? Or was he attacked by a group of men with more than a handful of lethal punches and attacks? How long did it really take police to respond to the call about an American being beaten near death in a local bar? How in the world could doctors think his injuries were just due to “drinking”? Did they not see blood and bruising? Were his teammates nearby? Did they see what happened? Will the Hardy family ever get true justice?

This story hit a little too close to home. Chauncey Hardy could have been my brother. He’s played professional basketball overseas for nine years and I thank God for his safety everyday.

But Hardy was someone’s son, someone’s friend and someone’s teammate. And this should never happen.